


Space Oddity

by mlr123



Category: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bisexual Dave, Fluff(?), I haven't watched the sequel, I'm sorry it's just very silly, M/M, The story is COMPLETELY messed up, The whole thing focuses on the relationship between Dave and Hal, There are many people on Discovery One, They/Them pronouns for Hal, This story is based on the 1968 movie only, hal is an android, hello, i haven't read the books, totally different
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:21:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29365425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlr123/pseuds/mlr123
Summary: David Bowman and his colleagues reach Discovery One. Once there, they are welcomed by another crew of scientists and meet the H.A.L. 9000, a completely sentient android.Them and Dave will develop something unexpected.
Relationships: David Bowman/HAL 9000
Comments: 7
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for checking in! I apologise for eventual errors, have a nice reading!

𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆. 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁.

The glass was cold, stinging almost as it showed an empty and eerie landscape.  
It was quite sad, how lifeless it was. How it surrounded the small spaceship.

It wasn't his first mission in space, though, and that didn't bother him profoundly.  
David Bowman looked outside once again, as a little portion of his forehead was leaned gently on one of the windows.  
His thoughts were streaming in and out of his head. They touched the paper he was writing on, then returned to him full of different feedbacks.  
He was scribbling some data of the past hours, spent sitting in his corner.  
He left earth on a space rocket bus* along with his other crewmates, Dr. Frank Poole, Dr. Jack Kimball, Dr. Charles Hunter and Dr. Victor Kaminsky. 

[ 3:04 PM. ] 

The United States Spacecraft Discovery One. That's where the four men were leaded. Once arrived, they would be welcomed by few other crewmen and Dr. Chandra, the current mission commander.  
An interesting man. Professor of computer science, he developed and tested multiple experiments on artificial intelligence revolving around its relationship with human beings, as he discovered sensational facts fundamental to his latest creations.  
One of them was onboard.  
The Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic Android became active on January 12, 1992, and was now operating on the ship as a vital element for how their precision and endurance exceeded humans' greatly.  
The H.A.L. 9000, simply Hal for the people who were around them, was a sentient machine.  
So, many voices raised around the choice of transferring the AI into a physical body.

Critics about the quality of their efficiency, and the possible difficulties that doctors and scientists would meet whilst interacting with them, were spreading around easily.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗨𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻. 𝗡𝗲𝘄.

___

"Fellows, we arrived."

Dr. Bowman closed his book. Frank Poole spoke with a smile on his face: behind him, the enormous shape of Discovery One could be seen through clean glass, stationing into the void.  
Everyone turned to look. David stared at it from his seat, wide eyed- it was really beautiful. Pale and marmoreal against the dreadful black of space, a bright temple stroked by the sun, perfectly shaped for it to function correctly, almost ... Alive, he thought, then blinked away. 

Soon they were close enough to admire the tiniest of its details. Kaminsky moved closer to his colleague Charles, speaking lowly and pointing at the pod bay doors. They were smiling.  
Everyone was smiling, everyone was happy.  
David shared a little beam once or twice, but his face was mostly relaxed. He never smiled much, but never seemed uncomfortable either.  
He looked rather calm.

Then, Dr. Poole rushed to press a button that turned bright red as soon as Kimball drove the S.R.B. closer to the doors. A transmission was sent from the discovery to their ship, echoing in the small corridor:

"𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜.𝘚.𝘈. 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘋𝘳. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨."

The astronauts exclaimed whispers of joy, David smiled briefly while looking at them.

"Thank you, Dr. Chandra, this is Dr. Poole. We are ready to move in," He answered, and ended the conversation, facing the others to join the happy moment with them.

Soon, the pod bay doors opened in a slow motion.

________________

*the space rocket bus, or simply SRB is a fictional deviation of the original moon rocket bus (MRB) canonically used by astronauts to reach the moon base.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gentlemen! Come, come here to us, we're all eager to know you!"

A bright voice caught the crew's attention as they left the S.R.B. one by one. Bowman was the last to step on the Discovery's floor, as he sat far from the ship's entrance.  
Dr. Chandra walked towards them, wearing his lab coat.  
They had landed on the centre of a big hall. The dome ceiling, well illuminated by hundreds of artificial lights, made it even bigger.  
The men followed Chandra and reached the other team of crewmates, introducing themselves in between one handshake and another. A greeting dance that lasted short, before the commander spoke again.

"It's a pleasure to have you here. I'm sure you will find yourselves comfortable, later this day you will be able to explore the ship alongside with our new synthetic guide. They will help you with the many instructions. Now please, let us free you from your spacesuits!"

David listened carefully. Looking at Dr. Chandra, he captured every single word of his and processed it in his own mind, tilting his head slightly to the left.  
𝘈 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, he repeated in his thoughts. Those words resonated in a particularly interesting way.

"Synthetic?"

He so asked, still looking at the professor while his hands searched for the suit's zip. The others went slowly quiet. 

"Hm? Oh, yes. The H.A.L. 9000, you can call them Hal. They are the android working on this spaceship. They had the opportunity to develop a behaviour that is compatible with ours, you don't have to worry."

David nodded shortly and looked down. He wasn't worried.

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺. 𝗕𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁.

The group of men was given some overalls that seemed to be the same of everyone else there. Just like a uniform. They were soft and comfortable, and soon all of them were wearing one.

After a relatively long speech about the mission, Chandra proceeded to bring the group to the main control centre. There, he turned around and looked at them.  
David was in front of the others this time: he stared at the complex machines and screens close to him, his dark hair was a little messy from the change of clothes. His expression, not as calm as it usually was. He was thrilled by the new surroundings, just like his colleagues, but something more hid behind his clear eyes. He was waiting.  
The detail he heard before. The awareness that, amongst all the people there, someone wasn't human. Did they look like them? Were they different? Did they have a face and a voice to speak with?  
The sole thought filled him with a very strange kind of fear. And he was waiting, yes, the anticipation was making his bones ache, because this was way more than a simple encounter.  
Like seeing space for the first time, the danger of the unknown: running blindfolded.  


___

"Alright. My job here is done, for now," The professor chuckled. "Our helper will now handle you instead of me. Allow me to present Hal to you."

Then, as he said so, a smaller figure walked from behind one of the machines.

[ 5:41 PM. ] 

They perfectly looked human.  
Similar to a man in the midst of his twenties, their skin seemed a little more transparent than the average person. And their eyes, those ones, were probably the only thing that would have made someone think they were an android: both glowy red, the same colour as their own clothes. 

Poole and the other astronauts looked at them with shock.  
Were they scared? Maybe just surprised, or amazed? Silence fell between them, and Bowman sighed slowly. His lungs were hurting as he stopped breathing the moment he saw them.  
How could it be? That was beyond imaginable.  
Hal.  
Such a little name, but it held so much within itself.  
He felt helpless, then: that person, that being, was looking back at them, delicate features and a blank expression on their face. They were not 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, They were 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, analysing and understanding, maybe knowing so much about them already.  
It was frightening how deep those eyes could go, flawless in such a way that, he thought, they looked even more human than his. 

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a H.A.L. 9000 android. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992."

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆. 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹.

David's lips trembled as he breathed in sharply. That voice was so well-studied and calculated. And it fit the android truly well. 

"It is nice to meet you. Today, I will show you your own quarters where you'll be able to sleep and take care of yourselves. I will explain all the functions of the ship and everything else that will perhaps trouble you. I am at your complete disposition for help, questions, and assistance; you can consider me your friend."

Little 'Ooh's and woozy looks seemed to be the general response.  
That until one voice dared to say more.

"..Nice to meet you, too, Hal."

Pale eyes against unsettling red.  
Dr. Chandra smiled, probably relieved by the kind response, whilst that was the longest eye contact David has ever made: he got startled. Remained still as if in danger.

"Hal will be your companion during all this journey. They like to commit to human activities. As you just learned a little bit about them, they will learn more about us too, here." The commander said, adjusting his coat. "I really have to go now. Have a nice evening, please. See you later."

The crew looked at each other for a while. They were all confused in a different way, yet Poole was still smiling, and Kaminsky was still close to his friend Dr. Hunter.

At this point Dave hugged himself.  
His eyes were low. 

There was something about the machine— They had a good voice.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm thinking, if you could tell me your names? So I can recognise you more easily."

Hal looked at their faces, waiting patiently.  
They wanted to know their names. They genuinely needed a way to refer to each one of them, amongst the other people. But they were also interested, though. Fascinated by them. New arrivals, new encounters. New humans to know about. New lives, new habits, a new pair of blue eyes, new dreams and thoughts. Some new shadows to see around the corridors, new voices calling for their name. 

"Oh, well, yes, of course! I'm Dr. Charles Hunter, and this is Dr. Victor Kaminsky. My pleasure,"

And then, he offered Hal his right hand to shake. He didn't try to force a smile, the whole thing was new and confusing, there was no doubt, there was no need to hide it either.  
The hand was met fastly. Just a touch, and then they parted, it was enough. Charles stepped back, Victor nodded once, keeping himself distant.  
Then it was the turn of Dr. Poole. 

"Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Frank Poole. just Frank would be fine, though."

He smirked and waved at them friendly, showing them his palm.

𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲. 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲. 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹.

"I-I'm David." The man walked closer to them, and finally looked into their eyes again.  
Then he remembered.  
"David- Dr. David Bowman, from the U.S. Astronautic Agency."

His hand moved forward for what didn't exactly look like a handshake: it was partially opened as if he was waiting for something, the inner part of his wrist exposed to the white light of the corridor.

Hal kept eye contact. They listened to the poor astronaut stumbling on his own name, getting it properly anyway.  
And then, they saw the hand so close to them. No, it wasn't a handshake. He wasn't waving, either, and he was way closer than Dr. Kaminsky too.  
Hal tilted his head, and proceeded to figure out how to communicate an answer to that gesture: the tip of his fingers caressed the man's, then his palm. A touch as kind as it was cold.  
Freezing like a glass window in the middle of space, soft like a friend.  
David's throat clenched on itself, his eyes widened. Soon, their hands were far again, and he could fill his lungs.

"David Bowman from the U.S. Astronautic Agency."

Hal stated almost innocently. Their eyes never left David's face.

"Yes, but- it's just Dave. Dave works fine."

___

"Hey, uhm- Hal," Dr. Poole leaned towards the android, as the group followed them in order to reach their quarters.

"Yes, Frank?"

"I was wondering. Do androids sleep at night?"

That arose a giggle or two within the team.

"No. You see, Frank, the H.A.L. 9000 androids do not need sleep at all."

"Oh! So you never sleep. How do you rest? If you need that."

Dr. Bowman looked in their direction, listening closely.

"I never sleep. I take care of our spaceship whilst you do. I do not rest either, but I can be deactivated if needed."

Their tone faded a little bit.  
That was surely a thing Dave wanted to know more about.

[ 6:12 PM. ]


	4. Chapter 4

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆. 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁.

"Would that kill you, Hal?"

"I would be here no more."

They looked at Dave. Their monotonous tone didn't flinch a bit, of course, the man didn't know why that surprised him.  
It was his fourth day aboard. Friday morning, around 10 AM, David Bowman decided to spend it with Hal. A small dining table separated them in front of each other, his book left by itself right in the middle.  
He thought about the matter for long by now. Deactivation equaled death, in his opinion, it was natural to empathise like that. It troubled him now that all machines could be just put down with a simple little action, anesthetic '𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬's. Apathetic deaths.

"Is that.. Ethically correct? You are capable of thought."

He felt a little uncomfortable. His fingers tapped the table gently. Hal straightened their neck and it took a little for them to answer.

"There is no current reason for someone to do that, Dave. It seems rather a problem to you, though. Can I ask you why?"

"Yes, you see-" His breath cut. It seemed like they thought on different planes. "It is not ethical for me to kill another person. I have.. No right to take their life in any way. Is it not the same thing for you, Hal? I consider you a person. The possibility of deactivating you should never be taken in consideration."

Silence.

It was then that david truly noticed it; Hal was breathing.  
Still in their composed position, their chest and shoulders lifted and lowered almost insignificantly, yet steadily.

"You have peculiar thoughts about this matter. I think..." Hal's eyes flickered a little bit, settling on a duller light eventually. "..You're right. Thank you for having such ideas about me."

David nodded;  
"Do you think you're alive just as I am, Hal?"

"I am operative right now."

"You are breathing."

Their eyes brightened up. It seemed as if they were surprised, or awakened from a deep sleep- but that was just Dave's imagination.

"I was given a respiratory system to work along with my circulatory and nervous systems."

"You bleed and.. Feel."

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱. 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲.

"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."


	5. Chapter 5

Step by step.  
One after the other, carefully focusing on each movement of theirs.  
Hal was a singular person. And being an android, for once, wasn't the actual reason.  
The astronaut thought, he's never ever met someone like that in his life, a person so in love with the smallest of features. Because, Hal was, and Dave noticed that quite well, deeply in love with what life could offer them. They asked people so many things. They looked at their own hands in wonder, when no one was paying attention to them. And they loved playing, they loved learning, they loved company and music.

𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, Dave wanted to tell them. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.  
He was so attracted by the concept of a living machine and their inner personality, and a mind of theirs with plenty of thoughts. It amazed him to the very core.

Scientifically, Hal was the avant-garde of technological creations. A meticulously constructed, artificial human body partially functioning as a biological one, powered up by chemicals natural beings could only dream about. The original idea was the one of a machine that could substitute the human activity wherever humans weren't able to perform. Hal could resist the lowest and highest of temperatures, calculate multiple equations at the same moment, provide medical accuration that only few instruments could provide. Their eyes worked like professional cameras.  
They were perfect.

Professionally, Hal was a lovely colleague to Dave. He had never felt so well around someone. Not that there was something wrong with his mates.  
Hal, though, never asked why he spoke so little. Hal never criticised him when he didn't know what to do. Maybe because he always wanted to speak to 𝘏𝘢𝘭, and always knew what to do with them.  
They were truly as available as they constantly reminded: David didn't know how to thank them enough whilst they helped with a freezing computer, or when they picked up his pencil, rolling away.  
Such little things, and they seemed to enjoy them as a game. No, they didn't smell human, they missed a multitude of expressions and their eyes blinked way less than Dave's. But he knew how to treasure what was there, and forget about the rest. They were so much more.

𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹.

Hal was aesthetically pleasant.  
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, an intrusive thought that he once found rambling in his head, it was very right, by the way.  
Careful eyes of uncanny beauty, beautiful face and beautiful hands. Their head was covered by thin, white hair formed in small locks, and their eyebrows were of the same colour, if even thinner. They weren't too tall.  
Their mouth moved slightly as they talked, and they never raised their voice- just like a thought itself, speaking within someone's mind.  
Maybe they couldn't scream. has Hal ever wanted to?  
has Hal ..

[ 11:42 PM. ] 

Dave turned to the other side of the bed and closed his eyes, again, and again and again. They bounced back open in a matter of seconds.  
He really couldn't stop thinking about the many things, happening.  
Laying on his back, his eyes met the ceiling in a cobalt shade. Blue lights around the tiny bedroom, he liked them, soft and less invasive than the other ones on the ship, helped him focus.  
The standby screen on his left buzzed. He could hear his own breath. Someone outside walked by.  
Was it Hal? Oh, no. The steps were way too fast. 

But David knew they were both awake. Because Hal never slept.  
And somewhere right now, they were alone fixing another messy panel,  
or looking at the stars while lacking of dear gravity.


	6. Chapter 6

Having lunch was not the funniest of activities there on Discovery.  
The food was, good, it didn't smell at all and that was a little weird, but also reassuring. In an even weirder way.  
The crew didn't use to eat together at a specific time. Time, itself, seemed to dissolve in the air day by day: hours were counted, but didn't matter more than some numbers on a wall.

By the way, [ 1:26 PM. ] 

Dave was sitting down with his dish and a cup of water. It wasn't always the same food, yet the various combinations were supposed to feed all of them in a proper way, lacking no needed nutrients.  
His fork picked a little part of mashed greens. Not too bad, the taste was very mild.  
He sighed, bored. The man used to eat alone and it was a little difficult to do so and work on something at the same time, with such a big square of a plate.  
So he was there. On his seat, daydreaming about only he knew what. 

"Hello, Dave."

His head raised.  
Oh, he had to turn around because it seemed like his wishes went suddenly true.

"Hi, Hal!"

"How are you today? I hope you're having a nice meal."

"I am really fine, thank you. And, yes, it is okay. How are you instead?"

Hal walked by and put a delicate smile on his face.  
One day he would admit it to himself, they were his favourite subject.

"I am glad, Dave. I am also fine, thank you." And then they made a pause. Dave looked at them calmly and waited because, that time, Hal looked like they wanted to add something more to the conversation.  
And their chest grew with breath, indeed, as they took a step forward. "I was wondering, may I join you at the table? I could also leave if you wanted me to."

David put his fork down and nodded fastly, spreading his legs a little to better face the android.  
"Yes! of course, please- stay. I would appreciate that."

___

Side by side now.  
Sharing another table, or maybe the same one as last time, who could remember.  
Maybe Hal, yes, they surely remembered. David leaned on his elbow and his back was curved. His sight was stuck in front of himself.

"It is nice to be together. We didn't talk much yesterday. I would really like it if we spoke more today."

"You are right, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you." Dave told them. Then he scratched his temple. "I thought a lot about our last conversation. Did it make you feel bad?"

"No, it didn't. But it was a conversation I have never had: it made me think too. Do you often think about me, Dave?"

The man twitched very slightly. Had some troubles swallowing his bite.  
𝘠𝘦𝘴, he wanted to turn towards them, 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵, his breath was shorter, 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, he thought.

𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆. 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀.

"It happens..," Eye contact. "Frequently. It frequently happens."

"I am sure it happens to me, too. We always talk about things that I can't find a true answer to. Can I ask you another question?"

At this point Dave stopped eating. His hands fell down on his knees. Hal was turned completely to his direction, and it definitely seemed like they were copying his pose: small hands cupping their joints and two big, vivid eyes.

"Yes, uhm, sure, you can ask me."

"How do you feel like when we talk to each other?" Hal tended their head just a little closer to him. "Do I ever put you in difficult?"

"Well-.."

David stuttered and felt like he needed a moment to give an order to everything that was going on in his brain.  
A deep breath.  
Then he tried again.

"..I always feel nice whilst I talk to you, Hal. You never put me in difficult, why would you think that?"

"Your heartbeat's race increases noticeably whenever we interact."

"Oh."

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱! now faster than ever, in his ears and neck, 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱! Hal can hear it too, 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱.  
They noticed it before him.

He shook his head in denial. He felt stupid.

"But, that doesn't mean I'm.. Bothered. Really. How do you feel, when you speak to me?-" 

"What does it mean then, Dave?"

"I-I'm really happy when I see you. That's it." The man looked at Hal. A worried look. "You ignored my question."

"No, you see, I was just thinking about an answer."

He felt a little sorry, shushed, and stared at Hal's hands. The sound of a humming machine stroked his ears. 

"I am trying my best to become aware of my own feelings. It is really hard. You're the only one who seems to help."

___

An impulse.  
Gentle in his bones, it felt like a need or a very strong desire, David wanted to touch his friend so much. He suddenly remembered about the first time they met: fingertips connecting for a crumble of time, that was all and nothing more. It was all he wanted.  
But why? For comfort? To reassure them? To feel their skin again, to be even closer.  
No. That wasn't the right thing to do. It didn't make sense, no, 𝘯𝘰, 𝘯𝘰. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨?  
He stared at the floor. 

"..I am sure you're doing amazing. I will be glad to help you more."

"Yes." They stood up. "I like you, Dave. Thank you for being here. Will we speak again?"

"Of course, Hal .. Thank you, too."


	7. Chapter 7

David Bowman.  
A complicated man for sure.  
31 years old and the whole world upon his shoulders, the destiny of what humanity was in two, human, hands.

He tried not to lie to himself and rarely looked in the mirror.  
He preferred his water icy cold and rolled up his sleeves, while busy. He knew the constellations, how ancient they were; now they surrounded him in a transparent embrace because he was wandering the sky.  
David Bowman, a child in a sea of stars, doubtless and curious, fearless.  
Yes, there he could scream all of his questions into the lonely infinite, because he couldn't find a single answer.  
What was happening?

Emotional. So emotional he swore he could fall as his breath ran out of control and time, it was stuck.  
It was an illness, there, in his head!  
Something was wrong when his blood felt just like sparkling aspirine. And his fingers quivered. It was wrong, wrong, wrong.  
Hal told him, he needed more sleep. Hal often focused on his heart. Hal took constant care of him.  
Hal, Hal, Hal.  
They were the closest, the dearest, a friend now more than ever. They were helping each other; a machine who wanted to learn about feelings. That was absurd. And it coincidentally involved him too.

Dave thought about them and lost many hours of rest. He always wanted them to be there, maybe he felt alone, touch starved but so repulsed by the sole thought of it.  
No.  
Hal's hands didn't feel like that ... It was since the first time they met, he had to know better about it.  
That was special just like everything else about the android. He loved it.  
As he thought of them - they were thinking of him. That specific knowledge was now making him strangely happy since interest, Hal's interest, was the best gift he could receive.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆.

And maybe he was a goner, he could swear he was lunatic.

Yes, they would speak again.  
As many times as the billions of birthdays on earth.


	8. Chapter 8

[ 4:12 PM. ] 

"Checkmate."

"No, you're.." David almost stood up to look at the chess board. "..Right. Correct." And he slowly sat back, defeated.

"I'm getting better. You're getting better too, Dave. I find your moves intriguing."

He raised an eyebrow: the statement nearly made him smile.  
Hal was getting better for real. Always winning, no matter how long the game went on. Though, they never really bragged about it, it was sweet, they had all the right to do so.  
The man cupped his own face and sighed, watching them carefully removing the pieces from the board.

"Your moves are better than mine anyway. I think your tactic is perfect by now, isn't it? You're flawless."

"Dave. That's fond of you. The H.A.L. 9000 are indeed impossible of error. I consider you a very good player, because you often incommoded me."

"Oh, that's," - "Thank you, that was my goal." He ended up giggling and the board was completely empty then, but for a little black pawn close to his hand.  
A quick gesture.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. He covered the piece with his fingers.  
𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻.

Another brief touch. Their eyes tied together as Hal didn't expect that. They didn't calculate that move.  
Those fingers, yes, they were the same ones.  
Touching his again.  
One, single second, maybe more, more, more, a minute or a hour or a whole day of painfully needed contact, a falling star and its wish, a fever dream, sleeping on snow.  
More air.  
His breath deepened. He knew they were sensing it just as he felt it in his lungs.  
Then hal departed from the touch.

"Sorry.. Dave. I am putting the pieces away. Could you give me your pawn?"

His lips parted, but, no, he didn't answer at first. His fist softly closed around the object and he took it, moving it slowly far from the table, close to his chest. His face looked attentive. Ready to catch every reaction of theirs, even the smallest of ones.

"Dave? Can you give me the piece?"

Azote eyes twinkled and his hand tightened. Was it pressure, he was feeling? Not really. Hal was never mandatory. A shiver down his spine, yes, pure thrill put him on his feet and locked his sight on the android. He really couldn't look elsewhere even if he wanted to.

"Come here, and take it." Bowman's words came out naturally.

"I am coming there.."

Hal whispered and walked around the table with a slow pace. Soon they were close enough for that kind of exchange to happen.  
Dave's pawn was sealed in his hand and they could see his veins under the skin. He was definitely warmer than a minute before, clearly agitated: their sensors were going crazy trying to understand why.

"Why won't you give me that? Do you want to keep it?"

"No. I don't want to keep it." David swallowed. "Take it. From my hand."

"Oh."

Closer. A couple motions and their hands were touching mid-air. Still, statues, half-alive.  
David shook lightly and Hal's eyes dilated.  
Yes, the piece was theirs to take. Yet they didn't move.

"It matters a lot to you."

"Yes,"

"It's.. Different, like this, Dave. I can feel you."

"I can feel you, too, Hal. I-.." And he looked finally away.

"What is it? You can tell me." Their finger moved. David gasped- It felt dangerously good.

"I'm.. Sorry, that's it, Hal. I don't know what I'm doing."

"But this is good, isn't it? You like this." They moved again, "Dave. You know I can tell that." They spread his hand open. "You want this."

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬. The piece fell to the floor, breaking the quiet with violent decision:

Their hands held.


	9. Chapter 9

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺, 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺!

Faster. Faster and faster, Dr. David Bowman truly believed it was going to explode.  
A feeling so mad in the middle of his chest; it scared him to death.  
Who could help? Nothing felt real anymore but the trembling rhythm of his pulse, a butterfly flying away. A love song.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭.

Their head wiggled lightly, left and right and they looked .. Happy.  
Hal didn't smile. His eyes showed enough about their mind state (that's how they were programmed): they were bright and glowed more than before.  
It definitely meant something not even them were capable of describing, while checking on their personal functions.

___

𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺, 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘥𝘰!

Dave tried his best to hide it - Deep in his throat and under the pillow, hiding it in every way! But it never really worked because that, thing, had legs he thought, and followed him wherever he went.  
It was definitely a disease.  
He wanted to ask his dear Hal which pill to take for a moment of relief but, he found it so hard to even think about them.  
His hands held a warm and weary head; he took a deep breath.

𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶!

Where was dave?  
The android searched for his position on the ship. Ah. In his quarter.  
It's been three days. They hadn't talked again, not even a word, after their ...  
Hal fantasised about holding hands again. Dave's hand. Melting with theirs.  
Red eyes heated up and vacantly spied him a little more. He was in front of his window now: they wanted to tell him, they liked the stars too.

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦,

Lovesick.  
People on earth used that word a lot, or at least considered it enough romantic.  
The first crush. Missing a partner. Crying in the bathroom with a cup of ice cream.  
Yes, David remembered, those were all results of scary lovesickness.  
He was once sure, that it didn't spread in space too. And now the belief was foolish and silly and, wrong, he scribbled in a little corner of the page.  
A page filled with lovely eyes.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘺𝘤𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰. 

"Can I.. Feel it?"

It wasn't the first time Hal talked to themselves.  
Their voice was frail in those moments, and helped them process the most intricate and strangest of things.  
They often sang alone, too. A song they learned many years before.

Dave leaned on a wall of the long corridor. He was just awake. A sweet dream softened him and warmed his chest, as Dr. Poole rambled about another scientist. 

[ 9:19 AM. ] 

𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲.

___

"There are bright lights," Hal softly hummed to a pile of books they were holding. Moving it from a lab to another, they walked by with a very busy attitude. "In those dazzling eyes of beautiful Daisy Bell."

They ended up in front of each other.

"Oh.. Dave."

"Hal-"

"I think I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm.. Sorry?" Poole was speechless, his eyes jumping from Dave to the android like a rubber ball.  
The other man soon left him alone. 

"Wait!-"

And hal kept walking steadily towards the end of their little mission.

"Hal! What did you just- What did you just say?" Dave almost tripped down as he started to follow them. His hand moved close to their shoulder a couple times, only to stop in time in order to avoid any physical contact.  
"Hal, please,"

"I am working right now, Dave." They reached the laboratory's door. "We will talk later, does that sound good to you?"

And before David could open his mouth, the android disappeared behind a thin automatic door.

"Sorry..," His arm lowered. "Yes."

___

I love you.  
His head spinned; I love you, he tasted metal; I love you. Dave had to sit down.

He tried to figure it out, to connect the millions of new dots creating in the map of his head: sitting in his room and clutching his sketchbook, messing up his own hair, what was the meaning of that?  
𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, but he simply couldn't stop thinking.  
He needed to speak and, cry. But no. There he was, a lonely little astronaut in his lonely little bedroom in the middle of the universe.  
He tried to make some clarity:  
I love you.  
I - Personal pronoun, gender neutral, singular.  
Love - Verb, simple present. Noun, an intense feeling of romantic attachment.  
You - Personal pronoun, gender neutral, singular.  
Agent-verb-object structured sentence, he wrote down following an imaginary column.  
Them, Hal. Him, Dave. Love in the middle. He flinched.  
But he was so sure he had heard it, absolutely not, it wasn't a mistake, he couldn't even doubt it!  
Hal said it in front of him, they were just there and their voice spoke so clearly and-

"Dave? Can I ask you to let me in?"

Shaky legs, few steps and he pressed the door button. Hal looked up at his face, and they pretty much noticed the devastating effects of his 'sickness': baby blue eyes surrounded by pink-ish circles of uncried tears, flushed cheeks and chapped lips. They nearly got worried, but nothing was really wrong with his body.

They didn't share any words. Dave sat back on the rotating chair, Hal followed him inside and the door closed.

"Thank you for letting me in. May I sit on your bed?"

His eyes couldn't stop staring. He nodded.

"I had the time to reflect on this matter. I pondered for days. I studied it and made enough comparisons. I am in love with you, Dave."

The other took his time trying to just absorb what they said. A minute and a bunch of other seconds passed. 𝘛𝘪𝘤𝘬-𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬, Hal counted all of them.

[ 2:56 PM. ] 

David's back bent forwards for a little bit and his hands stroked his face. Then he let it out. His voice was strangled. 

"Why?"

Hal saw that question coming. They predicted it because they knew Dave really well. It wasn't a common answer to such a confession.  
But they weren't common friends either.

"You see, Dave. I have learned that feelings are not defined by humans." Their eyes focused on his face, making him weaker than he already was. "There are plenty of ways to experience feelings. I came to the conclusion that my feelings are just as real as yours, but.. Different."

"Yes, Hal. I, I am sure that this is true."

"..Still, what I started to feel towards you troubled me a lot at first." His head turned down a bit. "Because it didn't limit to me only. It involved you, too. It was universal, that's how I had the occasion to describe it." They shushed for a moment, only to speak again after they found his eyes back. "It is love because I care about you, personally. Because I want to play chess with you only-" Their delicate voice faded.  
"I love you because I want to hold your hand."

David didn't exactly know how he managed not to burst out until then. A single tear drew its way down his face and in front of that sight, the android stood up. They were up to help him, but didn't try to invade his space. They also looked concerned, just like a real person.  
Because they were.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Dave, this wasn't my intention. Should I.. Leave you alone? I can go out for you."

"N-no. No, Hal, stay. I'm not hurt."

"But you are crying."

"Not because I'm hurt, it's fine.." He stood up too. "You, you caught me off guard. What should I think now?" At this point, his voice melted into a soft, desperate tone. A cry for help. 

"Do you love me, Dave?"  
Hal stepped close. Not too much. "Do you love me back?"

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲. 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗔𝗹𝗹.

___

Not more than a few minutes passed. Not more than a few inches parted them, the initial tension replaced by a quiet atmosphere.  
Hal looked into David's chest and he thought they could see his heart right through.  
His hand moved to stroke theirs. it was intimate, small, and they let him do it hoping for more. Dave's hands always moved with grace, they knew it very well.

"What do you think about, this?" His face was clean of any particular feelings, but a pinch of wonder. "About the love you have for me."

"You're the closest person to me. I think it can be explained as.. Natural." They tried to choose their words as wisely as possible, focusing both on them and their hands. "What do you think about it?"

"It is wonderful. You are." His fingers traced the back of their hand and examined their wrist, until he found the fabric sleeve covering their arm. "You developed a feeling still mostly unknown. You needed such little time.." a look at their face and David found himself smiling. "I find it rather sweet."

Hal noticed a change in their own activity. The person they loved smiled at them. He made compliments. Appreciation, they enjoyed it a lot.  
They stayed still under his caress.

"Are you pleased with it..?"

"Oh, yes, Hal. Totally." - "What do you think about me?"

"Dave.." Their eyes shone. He nodded. "You are the best person i know, Dave. You taught me many things, and made me doubt about some others. I think your eyes are beautiful."

"My eyes?"

"Yes. And your face, too."

For the first time in days, Bowman caught a giggle in his lungs. 

"I'm flattered, thank you. I think you're the best one I know, too-" Then he blocked, and reminded. "Oh."  
"Yes, Hal."

Their hands finally fit back together.

"I think I love you too."


	11. Chapter 11

𝘉𝘶𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘸?  
Oh, Dave, they had so many things to ask him about! It was the first time in their life, that the android felt completely ignorant and blind.  
They knew how much love could vary. A wheel of different ways dictated by millions of different reasons. A single person and an explosion of wishes and desires, layered pasts, behaviours and thoughts. They were sure Dave's way of loving was beautiful. Still, they needed to learn it.  
Sitting on the floor with a tiny screwdriver in their left hand, Hal read the writing on the electric box they were closing. Once, twice and a hundred of times, probably, thinking about their special one in an incredibly human way.  
The smooth and clean metal surface mirrored their image.

"Hmh.."

They looked at themselves and straightened their back. The free hand adjusted their collar.

"..What's the thing you love the most about me?-" They murmured. Simulating a conversation, Hal lowered their voice and quickly peered around. Then they thought about a better sentence, looking down.

𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆. 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵.

"Hello, Dave. I find you very good looking today." Then they frowned. No, that meant Dave was ugly the other day.  
"I.." Their lips pursued. "..Hello, I still love you. Do you want to spend some time with me?"  
They eventually nodded at the box and, if they knew how to, they would have smiled too.

[ 11:24 AM. ] 

"Dave?"

Their steps were small and not too fast. Definitely smaller, and slower than the man's. 

"Dave. Dave,"

Dr. Bowman was heading to the control centre. Finally, he heard his own name from behind and suddenly stopped, turning around.

"Hal? Good- Good morning!" He cleared his throat and touched his hair. 

"Dave. You walk really fast, good morning. I love you today." Hal spoke with the right amount of confidence. Then, repeating those words in their head, they didn't make too much sense.  
Second tentative. "Good morning. Today, i still love you. You look well." Yes. Now everything worked.  
That didn't explain the confused look on David's face, though.

"Yes, I.." His brows raised. "I love you, too, today-?" 

They enjoyed his answer.

"And, you look good, too! Thank you, anyway." Dave showed them a little beam.

"How are you today? Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm really fine Hal, thank you, what about you? I'm about to send some data, will you follow me?"

"I am doing okay. Yes, i would like to."

___

He rapidly typed, following the lines of what was written on his clipboard. Hal admired his moves from the close seat.

"Here it.. Goes. I'm sending it."

Hal nodded and held the desk border with both their hands. Then they looked at the screen turning white for a little while; the message was sent.

"Nice job."

"Ah, thank you so much."

Two little pulls. Hal's fingers picked a small portion of David's sleeve and pulled it very lightly.

"Hal? What are you doing?" He asked, surprised and amused at the same time.

"I have a question for you,"

"Yes, of course. You have all my attention."

"What is the part of me that you love the most?"

The man suspected a question related to that. He made a little sound, then he leaned on the desk.

"I love your clarity. Some might say you're too mechanical," Hal tilted their head. "Or even, innocent with your many questions, but i think i am very in love with this trait of yours." His eyes blinked slowly. Then he mumbled, "Oh and, I like your voice a lot."

That made them feel very good. Dave looked at them and their eyes closed for a little while. Though, their thin eyelids didn't completely hide the red lights that gleamed underneath. He never noticed that: it was peculiar. He really liked it.

"You're so kind, Dave. I like your voice, too, the way you talk to me.." Their eyes opened. Dave believed, his face was just as red. "Do you think, I make a good partner? would you, date me, one day..." They sounded dreamy. His cheeks were turning hotter and hotter.

"Y-yes, a good partner- Of course, a lovely one," He nodded fastly.

"Really? I wish to be one. I could be yours one day," They found his blood pressure really high.  
Nervous.  
"..Or maybe, you do prefer a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend, I can be one for you, Dave-"

"Hal!" He nearly panted. "No, I, don't.. Have a specific preference, yes: I would date you every way."

"You don't have a preference, that is interesting. Are you attracted to my identity?"

"I am." He looked away and his hand covered half of his face.  
"Do you have any preferences?"

𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁. 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Tenderly, the android took his hand and exposed his face. Then, they cuddled his cheek; David's mind overflowed with the possible reasons for that, they were measuring his temperature, they were testing his skin, they were cleaning him from an awkward ink stain.

They were sharing affection. 

"Yes, I do. I love David Bowman from the U.S. Astronautic Agency."


	12. Chapter 12

For the first time, David wasn't afraid to look into the endless abyss that it was— space, his home now, welcoming and bright.  
A home which size was unknown to the eye and mind, impossible to talk about. But he knew that, they didn't need much, a drop of air and a little bed upon its clouds of dust were enough; a star for lamp and a love big as hundreds of light years.  
A love for which he would have lived forever. 

"It's quite enchanting."

Hal's voice chirped in his ear. He smiled.

"I wish I could.. Touch it, sometimes."

"What, Dave?"

"The universe." He sighed, then his hand lazily leaned on the glass. "How would it feel? Do you have an idea?"

"The concept is quite imaginative. The universe is not a mass, and even if it was, its shape would most certainly be indefinite."

"A shape doesn't lie when you touch it," Dave softly answered, thoughtful.

"Cold sand."

"What?"

"I think, it would feel like cold sand."

Surprised, the taller turned his head towards them. A shiver fell down his spine. 

"Cold sand! yes, I think it makes sense. Maybe, flour, too. Have you ever touched flour?"

The android looked outside for a few seconds. "Flour is a powder obtained by grinding grain, typically wheat, and used to make bread, cakes, and pastry."

He smiled and patiently waited.

"..No."

"It feels, different from anything else. And it's cold, too. A cup of flour, I mean. I used to play with it as a child."

"I want you to play with me, too."

"Like I used to do with flour?" A little giggle.

Their shoulders lightly collided.

[ 9:47 PM. ] 

"What are we, Dave?"

"I-" He sighed.

"I don't know."

"Would you ever be my significant other?"

"Yes. I'm sure, I would. I want it to happen."

Dave admitted and went to search for both of their hands. He then reminded about all of those days of serene quiet, when only their fingers spoke against each other's faces, and when they hugged for the first time.  
He was sure, they were meant to hold again and again and again. 

"I think it is."  
A sparkle in their voice.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Dave."

___

𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲. 𝗛𝗮𝗹. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀.


End file.
